“It’s only a matter of time before something bad happens, isn’t it? We can’t keep on being so lucky,” said one worker as he headed for his shift at the West Midlands plant.

Julie, 54, who has worked in the site’s vast canteen said it would be devastating for Solihull if any part of the Jaguar Land Rover plant was wound down. “It’s not just people who work here that it would affect, it’s the drivers, the suppliers, the town relies on the factory.”

Others brushed off the concerns of Ralf Speth, JLR’s German chief executive. “Look at this,” said an exhaust fitter pointing to a huge site that has a four-mile perimeter, a lake, a creche, two assembly lines and is by far the biggest employer in the area. “They have put billions into this and we hear all the time they are planning future investments on this site.”

Over a couple of hours of watching the site, 150 trucks shuttle in and out of the two large entrances. Some 10m components are brought in every day.

There are vast car parks full of finished cars waiting for dispatch for export or for testing or washing. Joe, 52, who works on the site, didn’t vote in the EU referendum. “But if I did I would have said leave.” Even if it would have put your job at risk? “Yes, because it’s not about jobs. It’s about immigration.”

Over the road at the bus stop huddles of men were waiting for their buses home. “There are more rumours round here than there are stories in Coronation Street. You hear one thing one week and another another. You don’t know what to believe. I just come in here, do a day’s job, and get paid,” Joe added.

After crises and near closures during the darker decades of British industrial history, Solihull is now the biggest car plant in the country, producing 300,000 cars each year and responsible for tens of thousands of jobs indirectly and directly.

“It’s a massive employer. It gives us our big house – well bigger than the one I was in before – and the luxuries in life. Brexit is worrying,” said Colin Smethurst, 31, as he heads for work.

Many of those who spoke to the Guardian were men in their 20s, who had worked at the factory for four or five years. “Brexit doesn’t filter down to us on the tracks,” said one referring to the production line. Another added: “Brexit? We talk about it, but it’s out of our hands. It’s the politicians who are making the decision.”